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Fat mass

Jan 14 2024
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InBody in Aesthetic Clinics: Step-by-Step Application Guide

By Aesthetics, Blog, Fat mass, Medical

Outline

 

In today’s aesthetic and wellness clinics, understanding and managing body composition has become increasingly important. The InBody body composition analyzer, a cutting-edge tool, is revolutionizing how you can offer personalized care to your clients. In this guide, we’ll explore the step-by-step application of InBody in aesthetic clinics, emphasizing its benefits, usage, and interpretation of results.

Fat Reduction in Aesthetic Clinic

What is an InBody test?

InBody is a medical device that measures body composition through a method called bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). This advanced method sends a small alternating current through the body, enabling precise measurements of body composition, including fat mass, water content, lean mass, and cell’s integrity.

By stepping on the InBody device for less than 1 minute, you can obtain a detailed body composition analysis with a comprehensive breakdown of muscle, fat, and water distribution in the body, which is crucial for tailoring client treatments in aesthetic care.

Integrating the InBody device into your services gives you a more nuanced understanding of each client’s physical makeup, allowing for more customized and effective treatment plans. This not only enhances the accuracy of weight and body fat measurements but also informs decisions regarding water retention, muscle mass, and fat distribution, empowering you to guide clients more effectively towards their body physique goals.

Step-by-Step Application of InBody in Aesthetic Clinics

Step 1: Pre-Test Preparation

Before conducting an InBody test, certain preparatory steps are necessary to ensure accurate results. These include maintaining normal fluid intake, avoiding heavy meals or exercise for a few hours prior to the test, and removing any accessories that might interfere with the test.

Learn the tips for getting the accurate InBody results

Additionally, it is recommended to conduct the InBody test before starting any treatment or service. This ensures that you obtain the most accurate result, as it reflects the client’s body condition in its normal state.

Step 2: Conducting the Test

The test process is straightforward. Clients stand on the InBody machine and hold onto its handles. The device sends a low-level electrical current through the body to measure impedance in different body components.

Step 3: Data Collection and Analysis

Once the test is completed, InBody machines provide a detailed printout or digital report. This report breaks down the client’s body composition into muscle, fat, and water content, alongside other valuable metrics.

Step 4: Interpreting the Results

Clinicians interpret the results to provide clients with insights into their body composition and how it relates to their overall health and aesthetic goals. The InBody report breakdown is easy to understand and can be clearly explained to clients. This helps them grasp the importance of your treatment in your clinics.

Step 5: Integrating InBody Data into Treatment Plans

The final step involves using the InBody data to create or adjust treatment plans. This might involve targeting specific areas for fat reduction treatments, muscle stimulation, adjusting dietary recommendations, or modifying fitness regimens.

Treatment in Aesthetic Clinic

Incorporating InBody into Your Clinic’s Services

  • Enhanced Client Satisfaction: InBody provides tangible, objective data that can be used to track the progress of treatment over time. With detailed information on body composition, clients will be able to understand and be more convinced of the reasons behind the treatment plans that you have suggested to them.
  • Improving Treatment Deals: Ensure that all staff members are trained to operate the InBody machine and interpret the results accurately. This will enable you to teach the staff how to suggest treatment plans in a more reasonable way based on clients’ body composition data, leading to more effectively targeted and improved deals.
  • Marketing and Promotion: As InBody is a well-known product in the beauty and fitness industry, it can be used as a marketing tool to attract clients who are interested in personalized health and aesthetic services.

Advanced Interpretation of InBody Data in Aesthetic Clinic Practice

In aesthetic clinics, the detailed data from InBody assessments can be leveraged to design highly personalized treatments. Here’s an expanded look at key metrics provided by InBody and their application in aesthetic practices:

  1. Skeletal Muscle Mass (SMM): This metric indicates the amount of muscle attached to bones. In aesthetic clinics, understanding a client’s SMM is crucial for body contouring and sculpting treatments. A higher SMM often correlates with a more toned appearance, guiding the focus of muscle-enhancing or fat-reduction treatments.
  1. Percent Body Fat (PBF): PBF shows the proportion of a person’s weight that comes from fat. It’s a critical measure for weight loss and body-sculpting procedures. Clinicians can use PBF to identify areas of excessive fat accumulation and tailor nonsurgical fat removal treatments like cryolipolysis.
  1. Segmental Lean Analysis: This provides a breakdown of muscle distribution across the body, including each limb and the trunk. In aesthetic clinics, this data is invaluable for identifying muscle imbalances or areas needing enhancement. For example, if one arm or leg shows less muscle mass, targeted treatments or exercises can be recommended to achieve symmetry.
  1. Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): BMR is the number of calories the body needs to perform basic functions at rest. It’s a valuable metric for designing weight management programs. Clients with a lower BMR might require different dietary or exercise recommendations compared to those with a higher BMR.
  1. Body Water Analysis: Understanding a client’s hydration levels and water distribution is crucial for skin health, recovery post-treatment, and overall well-being. The ECW Ratio provided by InBody can help detect edema and post-procedural fluid retention. It can also be used to check for any risks of whole-body and localized inflammation.
  1. Body Composition History: Tracking changes over time allows clinicians to monitor the effectiveness of treatment plans and make adjustments as needed. This historical data provides a comprehensive view of a client’s journey, enhancing the personalization of care.

Conclusion

InBody represents a significant advancement in the field of aesthetic wellness. By providing detailed, accurate, and personalized body composition data, it empowers clinics to offer better, more targeted treatments.

Navigating higher sales in the aesthetic industry can be quite challenging, but with the help of InBody, you could achieve remarkable success with your client’s physique goals. Our team of dedicated InBody specialists are here to guide you every step of the way.

Take the first step towards boosting your sales by contacting our InBody specialist today. They will provide you with valuable insights and personalized solutions tailored to your specific needs. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to take your business to new heights!

Redeem your one-week free InBody970 trial at your clinic!
Sep 25 2023
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Can You Really Lose Weight Without Hitting the Gym?

By Body Composition, Body Composition Analysis, Fat mass, Muscle, Press

Weight loss is a journey, and like all journeys, everyone’s path is unique. For some, hitting the gym and sweating it out has become second nature. However, for others, the thought of regular exercise can be intimidating, time-consuming, or simply not feasible due to various reasons.

So, is it truly possible to achieve weight loss without exercise? The simple answer is yes! But, as you’ll discover in this post, incorporating physical activity has its own set of irreplaceable advantages.

Weight Loss Without Exercise: How Does It Work?

  1. Caloric Deficit: At its core, weight loss boils down to a simple equation – consume fewer calories than your body uses. If you can create a caloric deficit, you’ll lose weight. This can be achieved by adjusting your diet, monitoring your portions, and opting for healthier alternatives.
  2. Quality of Diet: Not all foods are created equal. While two meals might contain the same number of calories, one could be packed with sugars and trans fats, while the other is rich in vitamins, fiber, and protein. Prioritizing whole, nutrient-dense foods can spur weight loss even without added physical activity.
  3. Stay Hydrated: Drinking water before meals can help reduce hunger and, therefore, lead to lower calorie consumption. Additionally, drinking an adequate amount of water can aid in metabolism, which in turn helps the body burn calories more efficiently.
  4. Mindful Eating: This involves paying close attention to what you’re eating, savoring each bite, and recognizing when you’re full. This practice can help reduce binge eating and make you more conscious of your food choices.
  5. Limiting Sugar and Processed Foods: Processed foods are often high in calories, sugar, and unhealthy fats. Minimize these to see a marked improvement in your weight loss journey.

 

Mindful eating helps in weight loss without exercise

Are You Losing Weight or Losing Fat?

However, the weight you lose is just a number. It doesn’t reveal what that weight comprises. Is it fat, muscle, or water?

It’s entirely possible to lose weight without exercising by merely eating less. However, without proper nutrition and muscle stimulation, you might be losing muscle mass instead of fat. This is not an ideal scenario, as muscles are metabolically active and help burn more calories.

Rapid weight loss, combined with muscle loss, can lead to the “yo-yo effect,” also known as “weight cycling.” Imagine losing weight, only to regain it after a while due to changes in your diet. Then, you lose it again, only to gain it back once more. The cycle of losing and gaining weight can increase the risk of certain diseases, including heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Body composition analyzers, such as InBody, provide a comprehensive view of your body composition. This allows for a better understanding of where weight loss is occurring, whether it be from muscle, fat, or water.

Exercise: How Does It Help with More Efficient Fat Loss?

Yes, you can lose weight without exercising. However, if your goal is to maintain a healthy body composition, stay slim, and avoid the dreaded yo-yo effect, then exercise offers benefits that are hard to ignore.

1. Muscle Maintenance: When you lose weight, it’s not just fat you’re shedding. Without exercise, especially strength training, you may lose muscle mass. Muscles are metabolic powerhouses, burning more calories even at rest. Maintaining them can help you keep the weight off long-term.

2. Improved Metabolism: Regular exercise, especially resistance training, can boost your metabolic rate, which in turn helps you burn more calories.

3. Body Physique: Exercise helps in toning the body, giving you a more defined look. It’s not just about the number on the scale, but how you look and feel in your physique.

4. Mental Health: Beyond the physical, exercise has been shown to improve mood, reduce anxiety, and combat depression. The endorphin rush after a workout session is hard to beat!

How Does Exercise Help with More Efficient Fat Loss?

Conclusion: Why You Should Still Lace Up Those Sneakers!

“Weight loss without exercise” is a tantalizing concept, and indeed, it’s entirely achievable. By controlling your diet, being mindful of your eating habits, and staying committed, you can see the numbers on the scale drop. However, if you’re looking for a toned body, improved mental health, and a higher likelihood of keeping the weight off, then lacing up those sneakers might be worth the effort.

In the end, it’s all about what aligns with your goals, lifestyle, and preferences. Whether you choose a path with or without exercise, remember that every step towards a healthier you is a step worth celebrating.

Jul 20 2023
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Hormones for weight loss

Outsmart Your Hormones for Effective Fat Loss

By Blog, Body Composition, Body Composition Analysis, Fat mass

Hormones play a significant role in regulating body composition, including fat storage, muscle growth, and bone density. Insulin regulates blood sugar levels, while leptin signals the brain when full and ghrelin stimulates appetite. Thyroid hormones regulate metabolism, and cortisol responds to stress. A holistic approach, including healthy habits, is necessary for weight management, as hormones interact with each other and are influenced by lifestyle factors.

Ever wondered what’s pulling the strings behind your body’s response to food, stress, and other factors that influence weight? The answer lies largely in your hormones.

Hormones play a significant role in regulating body composition, which refers to the proportion of fat, muscle, and bone mass in the body. They influence various aspects, such as fat storage, muscle growth, and bone density.

Let’s dive into the fascinating world of endocrine function and see how various hormones play a crucial role in maintaining body weight.

Insulin: The Sugar Regulator

Insulin, produced by the pancreas, plays a crucial role in controlling blood sugar levels by facilitating the absorption of glucose into cells for use as energy.

Our body breaks down food into glucose, which enters the bloodstream. High blood glucose levels trigger the pancreas to release insulin, directing cells to use glucose for energy.

Overconsumption of sugars and carbohydrates can cause insulin levels to rise, which in turn promotes fat storage and can lead to increased body fat (especially abdominal fat) if the energy isn’t used.

insulin and blood sugar

Discover how visceral fat may be causing your health problems

Insulin resistance is a common condition that occurs when your cells become less responsive to insulin, resulting in elevated blood sugar levels as glucose cannot enter your cells.

To compensate for this, your pancreas produces additional insulin to enhance glucose absorption. Research has established a correlation between insulin resistance and obesity, which can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis.

To avoid insulin resistance

To avoid high sugar spikes that can lead to insulin resistance in the long run, it’s important to increase fiber intake in the diet.

Consuming foods that are high in fiber can help you regulate blood sugar levels and reduce your risk of developing insulin resistance. Additionally, increasing your muscle mass can help improve your insulin resistance. This is because your muscle cells are able to use glucose for energy, which can help lower your blood sugar levels.

It’s important to maintain other healthy lifestyle habits, such as consuming a balanced diet, avoiding excessive sugar and carbohydrate intake, and engaging in regular physical activity.

Leptin: The Satiety Hormone

Leptin is a hormone produced by the fat cells in your body. One of its main functions is to signal your brain when you’ve had enough to eat so that you stop feeling hungry.

Leptin is important for maintaining a healthy weight, but overweight individuals may develop leptin resistance. This reduces the brain’s response to leptin signals, causing hunger even after eating enough.

This can lead to overeating, weight gain, and other health problems. Researchers are still working to understand the causes of leptin resistance and how it can be prevented or treated.

Overeating and Leptin

Some potential factors that may contribute to leptin resistance include a diet high in processed foods and sleep deprivation. Therefore, it is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle, which includes a balanced diet and enough sleep, to prevent the onset of leptin resistance and maintain a healthy weight.

Ghrelin: The Hunger Hormone

Ghrelin is a hormone that is often referred to as the ‘hunger hormone, as it is responsible for stimulating appetite. It is produced in the stomach, and levels rise before meals, which signals to the brain that it’s time to eat. After eating, ghrelin levels decrease, which helps reduce hunger.

However, if someone has a constant, high level of ghrelin, it could lead to overeating, which in turn may lead to weight gain. In fact, research has shown that individuals with high levels of ghrelin tend to consume more calories and have a higher body mass index than those with lower levels of the hormone.

Ghrelin: The Hunger Hormone stimulating your appetite

Therefore, it is important to regulate ghrelin levels in the body in order to maintain a healthy weight and avoid overeating. This can be achieved through various means, such as consuming a balanced diet, ensuring adequate sleep, and managing stress levels. By doing so, individuals can help keep their ghrelin levels in check and maintain a healthy body weight.

How do I manage ghrelin levels?

Losing weight can be challenging due to the fact that reducing calorie intake can often result in higher levels of ghrelin, a hormone that increases hunger. Moreover, metabolism tends to slow down, and levels of leptin decrease.

According to the research, incorporating protein into your diet may help regulate ghrelin levels, which can reduce hunger and support weight management. Additionally, it’s important to eat regular meals instead of skipping them in order to regulate ghrelin and prevent overeating. If you’re struggling to control your appetite, it’s recommended that you seek medical help.

Thyroid Hormones: The Metabolism Masters

The role of thyroid hormone in metabolism

The thyroid gland is a vital component of our endocrine system and plays a crucial role in regulating our metabolism.

The thyroid hormones T3 and T4, produced by the thyroid gland, are responsible for this regulation.

A decrease in the production of these hormones can slow down our metabolism and result in weight gain.

Regular exercise and consuming a diet like the Mediterranean diet rich in iodine, selenium, and zinc can support healthy thyroid function, which in turn supports a healthy metabolism and body weight.

Cortisol: The Stress Hormone

Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands in response to stress. It provides energy and resources to deal with stress. However, chronic stress can lead to persistently high cortisol levels, which can harm the body.

A women stress about her work and the cortisol increasing

One of the most significant effects of chronically elevated cortisol levels is weight gain, particularly around the abdomen. This is because cortisol can stimulate the appetite, leading to overeating, and can also promote the storage of fat in the abdominal region.

Therefore, it is important to find ways to manage and reduce stress in order to maintain a healthy weight and overall well-being.

Engaging in stress-relieving activities, such as yoga, meditation, or simply taking a walk in nature, can help manage cortisol levels. This, in turn, can help to control body weight and reduce the risk of visceral fat accumulation.

What Is Visceral Fat, and How Can You Detect It?

Visceral fat, also known as “deep fat,” is body fat that’s stored within the abdominal cavity. It’s located around a number of important internal organs, such as the liver, pancreas, and intestines. This differentiates it from subcutaneous fat, which is stored under the skin and can be easily seen and measured.

Visceral fat is considered dangerous because of its association with a higher risk of several health problems, such as an increased risk of heart attack, type 2 diabetes, inflammation, high blood pressure, and certain types of cancer.

The medical BIA test is one of the great option in calculating your body fat percentage, including visceral fat, by measuring the resistance of an electric current as it moves through your body.

This method allows you to understand your visceral fat in a noninvasive, low-cost, and radiation-free way. By taking an InBody test, one of the professional BIA tests available at InBody locations, you can gain insight into your visceral fat and take the first step toward making positive lifestyle changes.

 

Final Thoughts on Hormones and Body Composition

It is important to understand that the impact of hormones on our body weight is not a simple, straightforward process. There are a multitude of hormones at play, and they all interact with each other in complex ways that are still not fully understood by scientists. Although insulin and cortisol play a significant role in body weight, they do not act alone. They interact with other hormones and bodily processes and are influenced by lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, and sleep.

Therefore, it is not enough to simply focus on a single hormone when it comes to weight management. Rather, a holistic approach with healthcare professionals is necessary, one that takes into account all of the different hormones and factors that can influence body weight. By adopting healthy habits, such as eating a balanced diet, getting regular exercise, and getting enough sleep, we can promote a hormonal balance that supports our weight management efforts.

Jan 18 2023
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An obese child is having french fries

Childhood Obesity: Impacts on your child’s growth

By BIA, Blog, Body Composition, Body Composition Analysis, Fat mass, Nutrition

Overview

Body fat monitoring is critical for your child’s health, particularly in preventing childhood obesity. Excess body fat can lead to negative health impacts such as weakened immunity, chronic disease, and poor learning capacity. Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) is one of the methods suggested to measure children’s body fat and evaluate their overall health effectively.

Understand the role of body fat in your child’s growth

You may already be aware that excessive body fat has a number of harmful effects that are being discovered by researchers. Not to mention the flood of awareness about childhood obesity posts in your social media newsfeed.

To most people, body fat may sound incredibly terrifying. But, in reality, body fat is a necessary part of your child’s body that provides energy, supports brain development, and aids in the absorption of vital nutrients such as fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E, and K).

Children height and growth

Nevertheless, higher body fat may have an adverse impact on child growth. According to a study, obesity and excess weight have different effects on boys and girls when it comes to the onset of puberty. It can speed up puberty in girls while delaying it in boys.

What does it mean if puberty happens sooner?

Researchers discovered that once puberty is over, growth stops. These children stop growing sooner because early-onset puberty ends earlier than usual puberty. The final findings show that children who reach puberty earlier have a shorter overall adult height.

An obese child is having french fries

 

Causes of childhood obesity

Despite the fact that parents’ genetic and hormonal factors can play a role in childhood obesity, study show that the diet provided to your child has a significant impact on their healthy growth.

Your child requires a certain number of calories for growth and development. When they eat more calories than they burn, their bodies store the excess calories as fat.

A poor diet high in fat or sugar and low in nutrients can cause children to gain body fat quickly. Fast food, candy, and soft drinks are all common foods that contribute to the problems.

Lack of exercise is another factor in childhood obesity. When people of all ages are less active, they tend to gain weight. Abnormally long screen time is a major potential barrier to your child being active.

Drawing of childhood obesity

 

Long-term effects of childhood obesity

You may already be aware that excessive body fat has a number of harmful effects that are being discovered by researchers.

A higher body weight gained during childhood usually indicates a higher accumulation of body fat over time. According to WHO and research, childhood obesity may have various negative impact to your child:

  • breathing difficulties
  • increased risk of fractures
  • hypertension
  • heart disease
  • insulin resistance
  • poor learning capacity
  • lower emotional well-being

Furthermore, if childhood obesity is not addressed at an early stage. This may lead to long-term consequences in their adulthood, such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Examine the best ways to protect your child from childhood obesity.

Measuring body fat in your child

The Body Mass Index (BMI) is the most common tool to check whether your child is overweight. Healthcare professionals frequently use BMI-for-age growth charts from the CDC or WHO to monitor children ‘s growth. A BMI above the recommended range could indicate excessive body fat.

However, BMI does not directly measure body fat. It is a calculation based on weight and height. In other words, it does not take into account factors such as muscle mass, water weight, and bone density changes in your child.

For example, a child who has a normal BMI may still have a high body fat percentage. This is why it is important to use other methods to measure body fat. This could give you a more accurate picture of your child’s health.

There are many ways to test your child’s body fat to determine if it is within the normal range.

InBody devices are one of the methods for measuring your child’s body fat effectively. The technique named Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) is implemented in InBody devices.

As BIA technology measures body fat in a quick, painless, and non-invasive manner, it is a safe and comfortable option for children. All your kids have to do is stand on the machine and hold the handles for less than a minute.

It can give you more insight into your child’s weight by providing their body composition information, including their body water, muscle mass, and body fat percentage. This information is useful to assess your child’s growth and health over time.

Following a comprehensive test with InBody, a complete result sheet will be printed out on which you can observe your kid’s health condition.

Child's Muscle-Fat AnalysisAccording to the image above, which is part of the sample printed result sheet, this normal weight child has a higher Body Fat Mass than the normal range according to the child’s gender and height.

It would be helpful if your family doctors or other healthcare professionals could assist you in interpreting the results. This information could help you learn more about your child’s health.

More importantly, you’ll be able to have a more productive discussion and make an informed decision about what you can do to prevent childhood obesity.

Start to monitor your child’s body composition at the selected InBody locations!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nov 10 2022
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How often should you test body composition?

By BIA, Blog, Body Composition, Fat mass, Nutrition, Press

When it comes to weight loss, most people often use a weighing scale to track their progress. However, for better progress tracking, you need to test body composition rather than just weight loss monitoring.

Let’s say you’ve just started a new workout routine recently. Every morning, you eagerly weigh yourself to monitor your progress. Unfortunately, the static number shown on the scale could be truly upsetting.

An upset man is holding a weighing scale.

Without a doubt, weight measurements are used frequently in to track weigh loss. However, even though the number on the scale has remained the same, you might not be aware that your body has undergone some changes.

The scale counts everything, including your bones, muscles, fat, and every sip of water and food you consume. In other words, weighing scales cannot differentiate what you’re gaining (which might just be water) or losing (which might be muscle or fat).

Here’s where the body composition measurement comes in. Simply put, your body’s composition is the sum of its amounts of body fat, muscle, bone, and water. Body composition analysis determines your body’s proportions of fat mass and lean mass by looking beyond your weight and the traditional Body Mass Index (BMI).

How to test your body composition?

There are many ways to test your body composition. Some are quick and simple but only offer basic information. Some tests need to be administered by a qualified technician and are time-consuming and expensive.

InBody devices measure your body composition using a technique known as Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA), which divides your weight into different components such as lean body mass, fat mass, body water and minerals to assess health and nutrition status.

InBody used in body composition test

 

How often should you test the body composition?

When deciding how often to test your body composition, take into account your goal, timeframe, and whether you are currently following to a new wellness or dietary program. 

A study observed body fat mass reductions of up to 2.5kg for 48 obese adults under a 2-week nutrition program with nutrition drink supplementation in conjunction with body composition monitoring using InBody.

Therefore, if you’re actively engaging in a new lifestyle change, it’s recommended that you take the InBody test every two to three weeks. Meanwhile, if you have been actively involved in a wellness or fitness program, you may notice a faster change within one to two weeks. Dedicated effort and precisely measured results can often inspire you to persevere to reach your fitness goal. If your fitness goal timeframe is longer, you may consider taking the test less frequently.

Meanwhile, it is recommended that you only use one measurement method and same machine for your body composition test on your fitness journey. You might be able to obtain the results more precisely in this manner. This is because various types of body composition test machines may use varied measurement techniques.

InBody body composition test for company employees

 

Set your goal using InBody now!

It’s important to know how long it will take your body to make the desired changes after beginning a new fitness and nutrition plan. The InBody test could be an effective way to keep track of changes in your body composition. With the right information, you can set realistic goals for your muscle gain and fat loss that can be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time.

Set your fitness goal

 

Nov 04 2022
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Losing visceral fat is important for diabetics

Lose visceral fat – Why is losing visceral fat important for diabetics?

By Blog, Diabetes, Fat mass, Press

It’s World Diabetes Day on November 14. Speaking of diabetes, people frequently assume that the only treatment for diabetics is medication. It is frequently overlooked how important it is for diabetics to adopt a lifestyle dedicated to lose visceral fat to improve blood glucose control.

Only overweight individuals develop diabetes?

Diabetes patients who are normal weight or underweight should also be given attention when it comes to losing body fat, rather than just diabetics who are obese.

According to a research article published, the researchers discovered that the visceral fat cell sizes of lean diabetics were larger, which is related to the development of diabetes.

What is visceral fat?

There are two types of body fat in our body – subcutaneous fat and visceral fat. Subcutaneous fat is what you feel when you poke your stomach because it is soft and close to the skin. However, visceral fat cannot be felt because it surrounds your organs beneath your abdominal wall.

Visceral fat, commonly known as belly fat, is extremely dangerous in large amounts and has been linked to a number of health complications, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, and others.

How is visceral fat related to diabetes?

Having a lot of visceral fat is associated to insulin resistance. According to the findings, visceral fat secretes retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4), which has been shown to cause insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance occurs when your body cells in the muscles, fat, and liver do not respond well to insulin in order to absorb glucose from the blood. The pancreas continues to produce insulin in an attempt to get cells to respond.

When the pancreas eventually can’t keep up, blood sugar levels keep rising, which can cause type 2 diabetes and glucose intolerance. 

How can you check if you have a lot of visceral fat?

 Here are three options:

  1. Waist measurement

Checking your waist circumference is a convenient tool that can be done by using cutoff points for Asians (90 cm for men and 80 cm for women). However, measuring with a tape measure along the fat loss progress may not be consistent and may underestimate your visceral fat loss.

  1. Computed tomography (CT) scan

A computed tomography (CT) scan allows for the accurate analysis of subcutaneous and visceral fat separately. However, this requires access to a facility that has a unit, and a test can be costly. On top of that, you might need to be exposed to radiation.

  1. Professional Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA)

A medical BIA test is an excellent alternative to a CT scan. This test calculate your body fat percentage, which includes visceral fat, by measuring the resistance of an electric current as it moves through your body. 

This method would allow you to understand your visceral fat in a noninvasive, low-cost, and radiation-free manner. An InBody test, one of the professional BIA tests, can help you understand your visceral fat and take the first step toward changing your lifestyle for the better.

Want to know how to check visceral fat on the InBody result sheet?

Download the free interpretation poster right away.

 

How to lose visceral fat as a diabetics?

According to the study, a combination of diet and exercise can result in a 12.8% reduction in visceral fat and a 16% decrease in fasting glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes. It also matters what kind of exercise is most effective to lose visceral fat and improve diabetes control.

Furthermore, take your medication as prescribed by your doctor and monitor your blood glucose levels and visceral fat on a regular basis. If you learn that reducing visceral fat is beneficial to your blood glucose condition as a diabetic, this may keep you motivated to lead a healthier life.

Aug 26 2021
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Body Fat Percentage doesn’t always give a complete picture 

By Blog, Body Composition, Fat mass, Fitness, Muscle

If you’re using body composition tools like calipers to measure your body fat percentage to assess your health, then you’re already ahead of most (like those who are still using BMI).

But be aware that body fat percentage doesn’t always paint a complete picture when it comes to body composition. What’s more, decreases in your body fat percentage don’t always mean fat loss.  That’s because body fat percentage is a simple equation of your fat mass divided by your total weight.

Percentage Body Fat = Body Fat Mass / Total Body Weight

In some ways, body fat percentage is the most basic of all body composition results, because it only requires your Fat, Fat-Free Mass (or Lean Body Mass), and total weight.

While fat and fat-free mass are enough to give you a body fat percentage value, it isn’t always enough to explain changes in body fat percentages or give enough information to determine whether your body fat levels are healthy. You will get much more context about what your body fat percentage means if you look at it alongside things like Skeletal Muscle Mass. These are the muscles in your body that you can grow and develop through exercise.

Without assessing your amount of Skeletal Muscle Mass, your body composition assessments are going to be incomplete.  You won’t be able to fully understand the changes in your body fat percentage, and you may also be misled by what your body fat percentage means.  Here are a few examples:

1. You’re working out, but body fat percentage doesn’t change (or increases)

This situation can occur when you are working out to gain muscle in order to improve your physique, but you aren’t seeing the changes in the mirror that you hoped to see as quickly as you’d like. When you check your body fat percentage, you don’t see any change despite a month of hard workouts. What’s going on?

The first thing to check is to see if your weight has changed. It probably has. If your weight has increased but your body fat percentage remains unchanged, this likely means that your SMM is increasing at the same time as your Fat Mass. As you increase musculature, fat gain can occur due to the caloric surpluses required to increase SMM. This is a well-recognized phenomenon and is commonly referred to in gym-speak as “bulking.”

 

Additionally, situations can occur in which after initial drops in body fat percentage, the percentage rises right back where it used to be after a couple months.  Why?

This is because your body has entered what is referred to as an anabolic state – the condition in which your body increases muscle production.  Your body will require more calories than what you’re used to in order to build more muscle than it had before.

Not all of these calories, however, are going toward muscle development.  Being in a calorie surplus can lead to fat gain as well, which can cause an increase in body fat percentage.

2. You’re Losing Weight, But Your Body Fat % Doesn’t Change (or increases)

Similar to #1, this situation also involves little or no change in body fat percentage but instead of occurring due to anabolism, this time, catabolism is the driving force behind the change.

In catabolism, the body is focused on reducing tissue, not building it.  In order to lose weight, especially fat, the body should be in a catabolic state; in order to be in a catabolic state, the body needs to be in a caloric deficit (taking in fewer calories than needed).  In gym speak, this is referred to as “cutting.”

If you observe that you’re losing weight, but you don’t see the results in the mirror that you’d like to see and notice that your body fat percentage is unchanged, this is because your SMM and Fat Mass are actually decreasing together.

 

Why would Skeletal Muscle Mass decrease when you’re trying to target body fat only?  Although there isn’t a singular cause, the majority of the time this is caused by improper training and diet.

Most weight loss is a combination of body fat and skeletal muscle.  That much is unavoidable. For this reason, preserving or even increasing muscle becomes a priority when encouraging the body to enter a catabolic state.  This means ensuring your nutrient intake is balanced while engaging in some kind of resistance or weight training.

Many people neglect these important precautions and cause their body to metabolize muscle as well as fat.  Depending on how much muscle is lost, body fat percentages can drop extremely slowly, stay the same, or in extreme circumstances, increase.

3. Your Body Fat Percentage is Acceptable, But You’re Underweight

At first, this doesn’t seem like it makes sense – how can you be at a healthy body fat percentage, but not be healthy overall?  Simple: you’re underweight.

Underweight individuals may have enviable body fat percentages which can lead some people into believing that they are healthier than they actually are. However, if you are underweight, this means that you don’t have enough muscle mass.  Being underweight doesn’t get as much popular attention as being overweight does, but over time, being underweight can lead to the development of osteoporosis, which is diagnosed when a person has low bone density.

Not having enough muscle mass will also become problematic if you get sick.  When you become sick, the body’s need for amino acids to power its immune and recovery processes increases, and it will look to your muscle mass for those amino acids.  Essentially, your body will start to break down muscle in order to fight and recover from disease, and if you’re underweight with a healthy body fat percentage, you won’t have enough muscle to easily fight off illness.

4. Your Body Fat Percentage is Acceptable, But You Have Muscle Imbalances

Even if you are at a healthy weight and have an acceptable body fat percentage, only having Fat and Fat-Free Mass as results can hide potential issues. Because Fat-Free Mass is a catchall term for everything in your body that isn’t attributed to fat, an absolute value for Fat-Free Mass can’t describe how well developed this mass is in terms of your overall body composition.  In order to see that, you would need to take a closer look at how this mass is distributed segmentally.

Specifically, people can have well developed Lean Body Mass areas in some parts of their bodies but not in others.  Some people prefer developing upper body muscle while neglecting lower body muscle development. Others may have what’s referred to as a bilateral imbalance, which occurs when one side of the body is stronger than the other.  Here’s what that looks like from a body composition analysis viewpoint:

In this example, this person has almost one pound of muscle difference between their right and left arm.  Although this might seem more of an aesthetic problem, significant muscle imbalances such as the one shown above can also contribute towards injury.  Shoulder muscle imbalances in volleyball players, for example, have been shown to increase the onset of shoulder pain and injury.

It’s Just One Number

Although your body fat percentage is a very significant and useful number, relying on any one number, even an important number like body fat percentage, will never provide you with a complete picture about your overall health.  While body fat percentage is a very good way to assess your weight, it only takes Body Fat (and by extension Fat-Free) Mass and Weight into account.

In order to maintain your weight and understand the changes that your body experiences over time, including your change in body fat percentage, you will need more specific values than just Fat and Fat-Free Mass.  If you don’t compare your body fat percentage to Skeletal Muscle Mass, you won’t be able to:

  • Understand increases and decreases in body fat percentage
  • Maintain a healthy body fat percentage in respect to a healthy weight and muscle mass level
  • Determine if your muscles are balanced

Your body is a very complex system of many components all working together. That is why it is very important to get as much information as possible in order to understand your weight and your health properly. Calipers are a good a start, but in order to assess whether you have a healthy body composition try devices like a DSM-BIA device, that will go beyond body fat percentage and give you your muscle mass and body water results.

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